This past weekend my team and I exhibited at the Seattle Seahawks 12K run, and passed out awareness bracelets, collateral, and talked to crowds of people about brain cancer and what we can all do to make a difference.  It was amazing to hear the stories from the other people, just by simply being present, listening, and enlightening them about new treatments, clinical trials, and advanced brain cancer treatment in the Seattle area. 

Speaking of awareness, we are so in love with our fans on our facebook page, and one of our fans reached out and is willing to play our :30 PSA TV spots that feature Jean Smart as our celebrity spokesperson endorsing brain cancer awareness.  This is huge for us, as our local TV campaign now becomes national thanks to Jim Hays at WLTX TV.  Thank you Jim.

If anyone else can help us spread awareness nationally, or works for a TV station like Jim, please comment below and let us know.

Awareness doesn’t stop with Jim Hays, as we have been extremely busy lately, building brain cancer awareness.  Jean Smart also recorded radio PSA’s for us which will be running on KIRO TV and My Northwest  during brain cancer awareness month in May.  Yes, May is brain cancer awareness month.  You can also listen to the PSA’s.

I have the honor of speaking at our Sammamish Chamber meeting this Thursday, and enlightening more people about brain cancer and what we can do to beat this disease.  My talk will be simple, straight forward, and from the heart.  This is an orphan disease that needs awareness and people need to be educated about what to do, where to go before a loved one is diagnosed with brain cancer.  So, on that note, I am honored to be a speaker at this thursday’s meeting, and will also be speaking in August as well. 

I have also been building brain cancer awareness at my Rotary Club Meetings, and must have made a good impact in some way, as I was voted in this evening as a Board Member, as the new face for the Sammamish Rotary Club.  I enjoy this entitlement because it allows me to spread the word and do what I do best: build brain cancer awareness while working in my community. 

One of our major initiatives this month is building awareness for brain cancer by partaking in the 3rd Annual Seattle Brain Cancer Walk.  We have been out there really promoting the Walk, and we would like to ask you to get involved and join us in the Walk or donate to the Team CEF Walk page and help us reach our goal of $75,000.  Jean Smart will be walking with us this year, and we are so grateful.  She lost her sister, Georgia, three months ago, to Glioblastoma Multiforme.  In one way or another, all of us are affected by this disease.  Help us EndBrainCancer by donating or joining the CEF page on ABC2.org.  

This week, the Chris Elliott Fund launched our new website at www.ChrisElliottFund.org.  Can you see me smiling?

I am smiling this morning, feeling very LUCKY, THANKFUL and thinking about the word “RECOGNITION”.   Let me tell you why.

Five weeks ago, the Chris Elliott Fund (CEF) received restricted funds/grant to be used exclusively for new website development and ongoing web support. This funding was provided by Jim and Mona Edwards and Superior Steel.  I’d like to take this moment to RECOGNIZE and THANK Jim, Mona and Superior Steel for this great gift.  This gift is the kind of gift that the CEF desperately needs and the kind of gift that keeps giving.  Why?  This gift is the kind of gift that continues to live on through all of the brain tumor patients, caregivers, families, friends, donors, etc. who will visit the CEF website looking for help to not only end this disease but to survive this disease through education, awareness, advocacy and research.  The Chris Elliott Fund is very lucky to be able to now offer more information, hope and strength to all who visit our website.

Of course, what’s $ and a desire to help brain tumor patients if you don’t have a GREAT web designer and web director!  Let me RECOGNIZE and introduce you to ours – Nicholas Swanson.  We are very LUCKY to have him on TEAM CEF and I highly recommend his work and dedication.  THANK YOU NICHOLAS!

Seriously, can you see me smiling as I write this?!

I have to share one more cool thing that happened.  Yesterday, another great gift was given to me while I was at the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce Luncheon mtg. listening to John Curley’s (host of King5′s Evening Magazine Show for 14 years and now the BEST auctioneer you can hire, www.johncurleyauctions.com) inspiring presentation, which lead to who do you know who is LUCKY and the word “RECOGNITION”.

He asked us to think about who do we know who is LUCKY, why are they lucky and why do we think of them as lucky.  My first thought was “I’m lucky”.  Some people, knowing my personal journey with my husband’s brain cancer, would be surprised to hear me say that, but it’s true.  What I learned from John’s presentation yesterday, which was excellent, (RECOGNITION) is this:

People are not simply born lucky, but rather, the LUCKY one’s know the secret.  Some know they know the secret and some don’t even know they know because it comes naturally to them.  At this point, you might be asking yourself, what is she talking about?

The secret to being LUCKY is RECOGNITION.  When you consistently go outside of yourself to take the time to RECOGNIZE others, which can take many many forms, like saying Thank You, buying the person in front of you a cup of coffee/”paying it forward”, hand writing a Thank You note, acknowleging others and really listening to their responses, shaking hands with strong eye contact and really meaning “Nice to meet you”, validating others, etc.  Whatever form recognition takes, when you RECOGNIZE others, you are on your road to being LUCKY and here’s why:

The act of RECOGNIZING does not make one LUCKY but rather, the ACT OF RECOGNIZING OTHERS OPENS DOORS  for you and/or your business.  Think about that for a minute……who in your life RECOGNIZES you?  Who do you RECOGNIZE?

This concept became clearer to me yesterday, when Deb Sogge, Executive Director of the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce,  came up to me at the end of the meeting and said “Dellann, that is what the Chris Elliott Fund and you do so well.  You RECOGNIZE people in our community as well as all the people who reach out to the CEF for help and hope.  This is why you are successful”.  I thanked Deb for what she said but it wasn’t until later in the day when I reflected on what she had said that I realized that, perhaps, she was right.

You see, Jim, Mona and Superior Steel – you know, the ones who just funded our new website, came to the Chris Elliott Fund and I  7+ years earlier when I had taken the time to RECOGNIZE one of Jim’s best friends, John Brace (JB), when he reached out for help from me because he had just been diagnosed with a Glioblastoma brain tumor.  I, of course, was honored to help – JB is the first brain tumor patient, outside of my husband, that I/CEF ever helped.  Not only that, JB is now a healthy awesome example of a true SURVIVOR of Glioblastoma brain cancer, www.gliosurvivors.org.

This is how LUCK and RECOGNITION works.  I RECOGNIZED Jim’s request to meet and help JB and many years later when I stated that the CEF desparately needed a NEW website including a professional web director/designer, etc., he RECOGNIZED my request and told me about his son, Nicholas Swanson, who works in San Francisco and is a professional Web Director/Developer.  He then introduced me to Nicholas and as you can see when you visit our website, www.ChrisElliottFund.org, this RECOGNITION turned into a beautiful partnership and a beautiful website that we are VERY PROUD of.

Yes, I am lucky. Many years ago, I reached out to John Curley at King5 asking him to do a story on Evening Magazine on my husband’s brain cancer journey and the creation of the Chris Elliott Fund in hopes of providing education and awareness about this disease.  John RECOGNIZED that “Chris’ Story” could be his own story and although he could not do a story on CEF, he reached out and RECOGNIZED my request, told me that this is the story he reads when he finds himself thinking he is too busy for his kids….today, John Curley is not only our auctioneer of choice, but he is a valued Chris Elliott Fund Board member.  We continually learn much from John and are LUCKY to have him associated with TEAM CEF!  This is another example of how LUCK and RECOGNITION go hand in hand.

Yes, I am lucky and blessed.  Enjoy our new website and I look forward to hearing what you think about it and may you be LUCKY in life and your work too!

On that note, the Chris Elliott Fund is currently seeking funding for or free office space.  Maybe it will be my LUCKY day and someone who I have previously RECOGNIZED will reach back out to me with office space?  WOW!  Wouldn’t that be great!  You never know know……Please contact me if you can help, dellann@chriselliottfund.org.

Blessings,

Dellann Elliott
President & CEO
Chris Elliott Fund for Glioblastoma Brain Cancer Research